Is this war?
by pandaburger
Summary: A short insight into Japans invasion of China in 1937 continuing on until the bombing of Pearl Harbor  Dec. 7, 1941  and the start of WW2.
1. Chapter 1

Alfred grinned from ear to ear as the train swung around the bends in the track. He was excited to be back in China, and rightly so, after all it had been almost two years since he had last seen Yao and the separation had been hard, at least for the American.

As the train neared the station Alfred gathered his rucksack and messenger bag full of provisions, hopping off the train as soon as it stopped, his comrades that had come with him to help disperse food followed him. As he stepped onto the platform Alfred was a bit surprised to see the shock that was clearly written on the faces of the Chinese people around him. _"Surly the Japanese invasion hadn't made them scared of us, has it?" _His thoughts swirled as he and his comrades headed to the house of the contact that had been given charge of dispersing the relief supplies that they had been given to help the people of China. After they dropped off their packages of food and medical supplies Alfred and his comrades headed to the house of the elder of the village where they had been promised a refuge for the night. When they reached the house the Americans where received with open arms and worried glances. They were ushered inside and the door was shut behind them, as they were led to the living area of the house Alfred looked at what had once been ornately decorated walls and floors, inside the house was in stark contrast to the outside. The house from the outside appeared to be just another building, larger in size yes, but still it seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, but inside the ravages of war showed plainly, where there had once stood beautiful status there was nothing, places where there had been pictures where now just bare spots on the wall. As they entered the living area Alfred glanced around at the sparsely furnished room, there were some chairs and a small table that sat in the middle of the room, an old man sat on a pillow at one end of it, he rose to meet the Americans as they entered. From his appearance Alfred could only guess that this was the village elder, the man who ran the place so to say. He bowed and greeted his guests coolly; bidding them take a seat he motioned for a servant to bring them some refreshments. Quickly the servant scurried off and soon returned with some cookies and tea, setting it down the Elder motioned for them to eat while he and one of the other men struck up a conversation. Alfred sipped at the tea a little and nibbled at one of the cookies, he wasn't really hungry, turning to the man beside him he whispered to him that he was going to go find a friend and then rose and quietly left the table.

As he walked back down the hallway he passed the servant who looked upset and frazzled to see him not in the room with the others. As Alfred explained that he just needed to get some fresh air the servant protested "It is not wise to leave the house, please sir, stay inside." He repeated this several times but finally gave up when Alfred shook his head firmly. "No I am going out." With that Alfred turned and l left the house. As he stepped out the back gate he shut it behind him then looked around, "Now, which way was it to Yao's" he mused, trying to recall how to get to where he was going. Finally after a minute or two of thought he turned to the right and headed down the street. After he had walked a couple blocks he turned down a small one ally lane, then another, finally after a couple more he spotted the ally way that led to Yao's house.

The ally was empty, and rather cluttered, the only sort of life form that Alfred saw was a beetle that scampered past him, hurrying on its way to an unknown destination. As he approached the house he was surprised and disturbed to see its walls pocked by bullet shells and the windows boarded up. He paused long enough to assess whether or not it would be even safe to approach the house, after all it appeared not only partly broken down, but also very abandoned. _"Does he even live here anymore?"_ He wondered. From Alfred's recollection of Yao, the man had always been one of a very neat and orderly conduct, his house was always spotless, and the outside was always well kempt. Mustering up the courage to try and knock, Alfred stepped forward and knocked on the door three times. Stepping back just in case he waited in silence for an answer; but in vain, _"The house must be abandoned"_ he thought as he turned and walked back up the ally way. Where was he to go now? If Yao wasn't living here where was he living? Thinking back to some of his other friends in the village Alfred decided to try and find them, perhaps they could tell him where Yao had relocated.

Trudging down a secondary road he went to the home of one of Yao's closest friend, an old farmer who lived about half a mile out of town. As he walked his looked around him at his surrounding, the landscape looked bleak, the once beautiful pathways that led up to houses where now mud pits, and some of them didn't even lead to houses anymore, just empty skeletons of what used to be nicely furnished, well kept homes. _"What has happened to this place? Where are all the people, all the children?" _Alfred's pace quickened, could it be possible that Yao had left the area for good? Or even worse, been killed by one of the hard, evil looking Japanese soldiers? At that last thought Alfred almost broke into an all out run. In the distance he saw the old farm house with one of the old man's workers working in the little garden that grew by the house. The sight of the worker comforted Alfred's worried thought, "at least someone is still alive" he muttered as he stopped at the front gate and called out a friendly hello to the man.

The worker looked up from his work; a shocked look replacing the look of contentment mixed with worry that had been on his face.

Standing to his feet the worker dashed inside and soon reappeared with the elderly gentleman. He came over to the gate and greeted Alfred.

"Mr. Jones?" he questioned with surprise as he opened the gate and let Alfred inside. "What brings you to my home?"

"Well, I came to see Yao, but he seems to have relocated from his previous location and so I came to see if you knew where he was."

The farmers face grew serious as the American spoke. "Yes, he did relocate, out of necessity, the Japanese came in and caused great havoc in the village" the farmer looked around, making sure that no one was around, conveniently the worker had disappeared back inside the house. "Yao has moved to a little house on the outskirts of the village, if you want I can have my worker take you there."

Alfred brightened. "That would be awesome" he agreed with a quick nod. At least Yao was safe, even if he no longer lived in his old home.

The farmer nodded and then went inside his house; soon the worker that Alfred had seen earlier reappeared with a jacket. As he walked to the gate where Alfred waited he picked up his hoe and carried it along with him. "Follow me." He said, not really glancing up at the American, he seemed to be more focused on the surrounding fields and woods than anything else.

Walking along the deserted road the two didn't speak, and it seemed to Alfred that there was a growing tension in the air as they neared the village.

Once they crossed the village's outermost limits the farmer turned to the side and began skirting the outside of the outermost ring of houses. As they came to an ally the man motioned for Alfred to follow him, making the turn they walked a couple feet than stopped in front of a small one story house. As the worker steeped to the door and knocked Alfred took a quick look around the place, it was neat, and clean, well, as clean as it could be considering the couple stray bullet shells that lay around in various places. "Alfred?" Alfred's head snapped up and he stared into the face of a Chinese man. It took a second for him to recognize Yao, his friends face, once so young and beautiful, now looked tired and strained; the years of war had taken its toll on the beauty of the older man.

"Yao" Alfred chocked slightly, trying to calm his ragging emotions. "Hey…" he faltered slightly. Unsure of what else to say he looked around quickly to where the other man had been standing but was shocked to find that he was nowhere to be seen.

3~3~3

Yao paused, his hand grip tightened on the door as he gazed in silence at his old friend. Questions filled his mind as his heart beat quickened. _"What on earth is the American doing here? How did he get past all the soldiers? What did he… how did he…" _Yao bit his tongue and stepped back, opening the door. "Won't you come in," he offered quietly.

Yao watched as the American stepped inside, his head barely cleared the door, at six foot the small Chinese house seemed short and tiny compared to him.

Yao quickly looked up and down the street before he shut and bolted the door closed. Turning to face his guest he smiled a half hearted smile and motioned toward a nearby chair that sat in front of an unlit fireplace. "Wont you have a seat; can I make you some tea?"

Alfred smiled; even in the worst of circumstances Yao had not discarded his manners. Sitting down he shook his head. "No thanks, I am fine really, unless you have some water or something."

As soon as Alfred said that Yao disappeared into an adjoining room, reappearing seconds later with a glass of water in his hand. "I apologize that it's not cold," he said softly as he handed it to his guest.

"That's okay, in this weather cold would probably freeze my teeth," Alfred gave a half hearted laugh at his fail attempt at a joke. He took a sip of water and watched as Yao walked over and sat across from him.

Yao looked at the American, that blond hair, those sky blue eyes, he had missed them, being separated from his friend had been hard and he had wished so much that he could talk to him, but now that they were together he felt tongue tied and at a loss for words. Finally he looked up at Alfred "So what brings you to my country?"

Alfred set down his half empty glass "Well, I wanted to see you," he smiled "I heard that you guys were having problems with Japan and so I was sent to bring supplies to you guys."

Yao's face brightened then fell; the American had come all this way to see him, but only because he had been ordered to bring supplies? The thought made him cringe a little; his country didn't need help, did it? "I see…" he paused "but I thought that your country just passed laws that said you couldn't help other countries that were at war?" Yao looked up at Alfred.

"Who us?" Alfred chuckled "Well, you're right, but you guys aren't really at war, you haven't declared it yet so…" shrugging his shoulders Alfred took another sip of water.

Yao raised his eyebrow. "So, your president decided that we needed aid?"

Alfred nodded "Ya, but hey it gave me a chance to see you so it's a good thing right?"

Yao shrugged "It is always nice to see you Alfred, but I wish that it didn't have to be like this. aru"

Alfred smiled, the two chatted about other things for a while before Alfred couldn't hold in his curiosity any longer "So… uh… how is life, you know, with Japan here and all."

At the mention of Japan Yao's eyes where lit ablaze, hatred clearly registered on his face "It is deplorable, I have never had to deal with so much trouble in all my 4,000 years aru."

"So not good?" Alfred's voice faltered.

"No, it is terrible, when the soldiers took over our village it was like hell on earth; they killed people, burned buildings, killed our livestock and broke our wagons." Yao spat "And on top of that they disgraced our village elder before what people they had left alive. Mostly farmers and such, anyone who could leave left before they got here, the ones they killed where mostly families that had been helping out at a mission that was located not far from here." Yao glared angrily at his hands, "They looted his house, they've looted the whole village, there isn't a thing of value left here."

Alfred gapped; he knew that disgracing someone, especially the elder of a village always brought on some hefty consequences. "What… did you guys do about that?" he asked as he watched Yao's eyes burn with a inner hatred.

"To get revenge on them the farmers that were left have formed into gorilla bands, they prowl around the outside of town at night. And on some nights they raid the village, killing any Japanese soldier they can lay their hands or gun sights on." Yao looked up at Alfred's horror stricken face. "What's wrong?" Yao questioned, not wanting to believe that the American was so easily horrified by the ravages of war.

Alfred shook his head quickly wiping the look of stunned surprise off his face, "I was just thinking about… well the safety of my men and such." He said "Do you think the gorillas would harm us?" Yao rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Well, they are here for the soldiers, but it's possible since you are a foreigner that if they found you guys that they would kill you too just because. When they go on raids like that they work themselves up into a frenzy and there is no stopping them." He smirked "Some nights, when they are in a especially savage mood they wipe out small divisions of Japanese soldiers."

Alfred shuddered "Do you think they would come tonight?" he questioned worriedly.

"It's possible; no one knows when they will strike. Tonight is as good as another…" Yao's eyes took on an evil glint and as he spoke it seemed that he was speaking for the whole of China "We like their raids, we hate the Japanese, and we want them dead."


	2. Chapter 2

A couple days after Alfred's arrival, Yao helped him pack up.

"Do you really have to leave, aru?"

Alfred looked up from where he was tightening the last strap on his rucksack. "I do, but don't worry, I'll be back soon, and we're going to bring more food and supplies for you and your people." He stood up and smiled. "So don't worry."

"But I do worry," said Yao as he followed the tall American to the door. "I worry… a lot."

Alfred felt his heart warm; he didn't like it when Yao worried, but when he worried about him, well, that just did something to the American that couldn't be done otherwise. Turning around he reached over and touched Yao's cheek.

"Well… don't, please? For me?" Leaning over he gave Yao a quick peck on the cheek and then turned to go.

"Wait, Alfred…" Yao hesitated, his face was slightly flushed and he averted his eyes from the American's briefly. "How, how will I know when you are coming back aru?"

Alfred stopped "When you hear the sound of planes overhead, that is when I'll be coming back." With that he turned and disappeared down the street.

Yao opened his mouth to say something, but Alfred was already gone. He stood and looked down the street longingly for a while before he turned and went back inside to wait for the American's return.

The weeks passed slowly for Alfred as he waited for new orders to go back to China; he missed Yao already, and wanted to see him again. When the orders finally did filter down to him through headquarters he was beside himself with joy. Quickly the necessary arrangements were made and the supplies loaded into planes and they were off.

The trip didn't take too long and before Alfred knew it they were flying over the interior of China. As he prepared to jump he was given some last minute instructions about the check point and such. Then on the count of three he found himself floating down through the misty and slightly muggy Chinese sky.

After they landed safely on the ground they all gathered together and then made their way to the village. As he walked into the village Alfred noticed that it seemed to be more demolished and disorderly than ever; nobody walked about the streets, there wasn't even an animal to greet them.

"What happened? Where is everybody? Is Yao okay?" Unanswered questions flew through Alfred's mind as he followed the rest of his comrades toward the elder's house. They stopped short; the once large and well maintained house lay in ruins, the walls were completely demolished, and the yard was cluttered with rubble and trash. Bodies lay mangled and distorted all over the place, as if they had been shot and then heaved onto the great pile of trash. Alfred's heart all but stopped as he surveyed the sight before him. "Oh god no…" he murmured as he searched the faces of the dead, not seeing Yao's face he began to worry even more.

Turning to the man beside him he muttered something about being right back and took off running in the direction of Yao's house. His feet pounded on the cobblestone streets as he ran, his heart seemed to be racing ahead of him as he made the few turns down the side streets. All around him houses and shops where demolished, and the stench of the dead penetrated the place. The city was in ruins and there was not a living soul in sight. As he neared Yao's house he was relieved to see that it was not in ruins. Running up to the door he didn't stop to knock, he just grabbed the handle and burst through the door.

As the door went in Alfred looked around, his eyes taking a minute to adjust to the darkness of the room. As his vision became clear he saw the form of a man huddled by a small fire that was lighted in the fire place, looking at him. Stepping closer he felt his heart stop. "Yao?" he gasped, shock, horror and relief clearly written on his face.

Yao looked up as he heard his door being pushed in, "They have come to finish me off," he thought, quietly composing himself. He kept his head down, waiting for the blow from a knife or shot from the gun that would end his life. When he didn't hear it he looked up, his eyes widened slightly and his mouth went dry as he heard his name. "Alfred…?" he coughed slightly as dust fell from a rafter.

With a quick movement the American was no longer standing at the door way, he was on his knees, his arms wrapped tightly around his friend. "Yao, oh Yao; you're alive!" he gasped as he clutched the frail body of the Chinese man close to him.

"You came back, aru." was all Yao could manage to say.

Alfred looked down at his friend's worried, weary face. "I told you I would, didn't I?" He loosened his grasp on the slender man and just looked at him.

Yao looked down. "I know, you said that you would return, you said to listen for the planes in the sky…" his voice trailed off.

"I came in planes; didn't you hear them?"

"No, I have not heard anything as of late, except for the sound of guns and the screams of my people." Yao's eyes clouded and his voice trembled as he spoke.

Alfred touched Yao's cheek. "What happened? What have they done to you?" he asked softly as he tucked a piece of stray hair behind Yao's ear.

Yao looked down at his hands, "They have killed us. Reinforcements came and they massacred my people, they killed everyone else in the village," his eyes filled with tears that refused to fall. "I thought that they would kill me too, but apparently I looked dead enough that they just left me here to die alone."

Alfred cringed "But, you're still alive; how did you survive?"

"I am not a wimp, aru." Yao's eyes took on a slight shimmer of his pride as he spoke. "I managed to find my way back to my house. I found what little food they had left behind and I bandaged myself up…" Yao touched his back gently as he said that, he winced as he felt the stinging pain that came from his still unhealed wound.

Alfred noticed Yao wincing. "What did they do to you? What do you mean you had to bandage yourself?" he reached over and touched Yao's back. For the first time he noticed the dried blood that covered the Chinese man's clothes; gently, ever so gently he lifted Yao's shirt. With a quick swipe from his knife Alfred cut off the dirty bandage that covered his back gently pulling it off and dropping it to the ground.

His heart sunk as he stared in horror at a massive cut that ran along a diagonal path on Yao's back. His heart filled with anger and pity as he touched the area gently, he felt Yao's muscles tense up and he realized that the area was infected.

"Yao," he murmured, "what has happened to you..?" He looked at his friend's pain-ridden face "I have to get you out of here," he said as he pulled off his jacket. Gently, with all the care that he could muster Alfred put Yao's shirt back down then placed his jacket around his shoulders. Helping his friend to his feet he walked with him back to where his comrades still stood, staring at the elder's house. They had covered the twisted bodies of the dead with whatever cloth-like substances they could find.

As the two approached the group all turned and looked at them. "Who's that?" one of them asked.

"I found him alive in one of the still intact houses" Alfred said quickly; he didn't want to draw to much attention to Yao, who seemed to be on the verge of collapse as it was. "I think we should search the rest of the town quickly to see if there are any more survivors and then get out of here. This place has been abandoned." The rest of the men nodded and dispersed, returning soon with the report that there was not another living person in the rest of the village.

After all the men had returned the group started back to the place where they were to be picked up. Half way there Yao collapsed and Alfred and the one of the other men fashioned an impromptu stretcher which they used to carry him.

When the group was picked up, Alfred arranged for he and Yao to be taken to one of the large Chinese cities that had not been invaded by the Japanese. Upon arriving he took Yao to the hospital and got him the treatment that he needed.

The days flew by and before Alfred realized it, the day had come for he and his men to go back to America. Alfred put on his jacket and began to comb his hair.

"You are leaving, aren't you?" Yao's brown eyes looked up at Alfred from his hospital bed.

Alfred glanced down "I wasn't planning on it."

"But, don't you have to leave? Your men are leaving, and your orders…"

"My orders said that I had to come over here and help the people of China during this difficult time." He gave one last comb through his hair and then put the comb back into the inside pocket of his jacket. "I haven't finished doing that yet."

Yao's eyes clouded "But you need to be able to get back, aru."

"I will," Alfred opened the door and turned back to look at Yao "In time." With that he flashed a great big Hero grin and shut the door behind him as he went to go see his commanding officer.

After securing the necessary permission to stay with Yao until the next plane load of supplies came, Alfred hurried back to the hospital. As he walked through the front doors he noticed a large, scarf-clad man walking past him and heading out the doors. but he paid little attention and thought nothing of it as he hurried to Yao's room to tell him the good news. Opening the door he saw Yao sitting up in bed, his back still bandaged and his arm in a cast but he looked better than he had when he had left him earlier that morning.

"Yao! Guess what!"

Yao looked up at the American; on his face he wore a painful grimace. "What is it, aru?"

"I got permission to stay here in China until more relief supplies are flown in." He smiled as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Isn't that great?"

Yao forced a half smile onto his face. "That is wonderful aru." He looked at the American gently. "When does the next shipment come in?"

"About a week," Alfred reached over and took Yao's hand in his own. "I know it's not very long, but at least it's time that you and I can spend together."

Yao nodded. "That is wonderful." He smiled up at Alfred as he leaned back against the bed and closed his eyes, his body relaxed and his grip loosened on Alfred's hand.

"You're going to sleep, aren't you?"

"I need to, the doctors said I need to rest some more." Yao spoke in a whisper as his hand slipped out of Alfred's.

The Alfred looked down at Yao. He reached up and brushed back some stray pieces of hair that clung to Yao's sweaty forehead "Sleep well," he whispered. Leaning over he gently placed a kiss on Yao's forehead and then got up and slipped quietly out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

The days that Alfred had requested flew by and he busied himself with finding a house for Yao to live in and spending time with him in the hospital. When his week was up he requested, and was granted, another week since supplies from America were being flown in every week.

When he went to tell Yao the good news he was slightly disappointed to be told that he would have to wait to go in since Yao had another guest and had asked not to be disturbed.

"But he will want me to come in, he won't mind," Alfred began to argue, but the receptionist wouldn't budge. And Alfred was left sitting in the waiting room fuming over the injustice that he felt had been dealt him.

Not long after the initial "no" by the receptionist Alfred had settled down and was reading a magazine when he felt goose bumps rise on his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. _"What on earth?"_ he thought to himself as he glanced over his magazine to see what had given him such a sudden chill. All he saw was the doors of the hospital swinging shut, nobody else was around. Jumping up he headed toward the door to see who had just gone out when he heard the receptionist call his name.

"Mr. Jones."

Her high feminine voice caught his attention and he turned around.

"Mr. Wang can see you now."

"Alright," Alfred took one more, quick glance over his shoulder, and then hurried back to Yao's room.

Pushing the door open he found Yao putting some papers into a brief case and setting it down beside his bed.

"Your back already?" Yao looked up at him and smiled what looked to Alfred like a half hearted smile.

"Ya," said Alfred as he walked in. Tossing his jacket on a chair he walked over and leaned down to kiss Yao's forehead, but Yao pulled back.

"Not right now aru." He said quietly, his eyes clouded as he looked away.

Alfred paused, puzzled and slightly alarmed by Yao's sudden decline of his loving gesture. "Alright…?" he said as he sat down in one of the nearby chairs. "Anyways, you would not believe what happened when I came back. I was heading up here to see you, and the receptionist stopped me and told me that you were busy and could not be disturbed, imagine that! I told her you wouldn't mind, it's just me, but nooooo she insisted that I wait." He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "On the bright side, I found a house and got permission to stay another week; apparently they don't mind if I stay as long as I want, just as long as I go to the consulate everyday and help out the relief efforts." He smiled over at Yao.

"That's wonderful," Yao twisted his fingers together, he really was glad that Alfred was able to stay, having someone stay with him made things a lot easier. "The doctors said that I should be able to go home tomorrow."

"Really?" Alfred's face brightened. He hadn't expected Yao to be released so soon, but apparently he must be doing better than he had expected. "So you're all better? Is the wound healed?"

"Yes, and no, I am well enough to go home, even though the wound is not completely healed up." Yao smiled a little at the American's excitement; it made him glad that Alfred was happy that he would be getting out of the hospital, but his felt bad because of the circumstances which had brought it about. He honestly didn't feel that he had the heart to tell the American that he had a friend who had convinced the doctor to let him go home early, so that they might be able to meet in the privacy of Yao's own home, instead of the people ridden hospital. He knew that Alfred would prefer that he stay in the hospital till he was completely well so that he wouldn't have to worry about the wound getting re infected.

Alfred got up and put his glasses back on, "Great!" He said, flashing his hero grin. "Should I help you pack? Can I go ahead and move anything? I can get furniture and put it in the house, that way you won't have to worry about that when you get there." He began to pace, he was really happy that Yao would be able to go home. "I could also go shopping for food, I know that I haven't been here all that long but I think that I have gotten a handle on how your shops work and such, just make me a shopping list."

Yao watched Alfred pace back and forth, "That would be good," he said. "I will make you a list out now."

"Alrighty!" said Alfred as he grabbed his jacket. "I will go and get furniture, then come back for the list." Putting on his jacket he gave a small two finger salute to Yao as he disappeared out the door.

The next day Alfred helped Yao dress, since he was still quite sore and didn't want to bend too much. After they had packed up the few belongings that Yao had Alfred took him to the house. Opening the door he showed Yao the furniture and statues that he had purchased excitedly. "I hope you like them; I mean I got red stuff, and some black stuff, oh! And a few pieces that are gold colored because the lady at the shop suggested them." He smiled and walked into the bedroom. "The house has two rooms, an office thingy and a kitchen plus a living room and a dining room."

Yao looked around, outside of the tacky gold furniture that Alfred had been tricked into buying by a conniving sales person the house looked nice, the rest of the furniture matched, the statues went well and even the curtains matched. "Its lovely aru," He said as he ran his over the back of the bed, its ornately carved wood reminded him of the one that had been destroyed in his old village. The memories made him cringe and he bit his lip to keep a sudden wave of tears from spilling over.

Alfred saw Yao bite his lip, and he suddenly felt bad for buying furniture that he knew resembled some of the old pieces that he remembered from Yao's old house. Gently he laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I didn't think I shouldn't have… I…"

"No," Yao turned and faced Alfred "You did a wonderful job, it's all so beautiful, and matches so well." He forced a smile and placed his hand over Alfred's. "It's fine." He paused as his stomach growled. "I think we should eat now aru."

Alfred smiled "Your right," he leaned down and kissed Yao's cheek. "I'll go cook." Letting go of Yao he went into the kitchen, leaving Yao in a slightly euphoric, star struck, daze.

Another happy week whisked by and Alfred busied himself falling into a routine of helping Yao dress in the morning and putting medication on his wound, and helping the American console with relief efforts and such. Then coming back to Yao's house and spending the rest of the evening helping him with different things.

But on the morning of December 7, 1941 while he and Yao sat on pillows in the living room, sipping cups of tea Alfred heard the phone ring. Setting his cup of tea down Alfred got up and answered it.

"Hello."

"Hello, is this Mr. Wang's residence?"

"Yes,"

"May I speak to Alfred Jones please?"

"I'm Alfred Jones."

"Ah, Mr. Jones, This is Sergeant Robert, I am calling to inform you that you need to report to the American consoles office immediately! That is all."

Alfred opened his mouth to say something but he heard the line click and knew that the other person had hung up. Without a word he hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket, putting it on he looked over at Yao who was giving him worried glances.

"Who was that aru?"

"Sergeant Robert." Alfred fixed his jacket then adjusted his glasses "He wants me to report to the American consulate immediately."

Yao set down his tea and stood up, walking over to Alfred he looked up at him. "Why?" he asked softly, worry filling his eyes as he clasped his hands together.

"He didn't say." Alfred looked down at Yao; those big, tender, brown eyes melted his heart. Just like they had the first day he had seen them. He lifted his finger and gently pushed a piece of stray hair behind Yao's ear.

"When will you be back aru?"

Alfred's mind quickly went into gear, the only reason that they could be calling him back to the consoles office at this hour and in such a hurry was if something terribly bad had happened, and if that was the case, who knew when he'd be back.

"I don't know." He said gently.

Yao bit his lip. "But," he looked down.

Alfred knew that he didn't have any more time to waste, the Sergeant had sounded urgent and he knew that he had to go. Lifting Yao's chin with his finger he took one last long look into his eyes, then leaned down and pressed a firm, but gentle kiss on his lips.

The kiss was over in a breath, but while it lasted, Yao felt like the world had stopped. He threw his arms around the American, holding on for dear life.

For a split second, the two stood there, frozen in time, holding each other, knowing that it could possibly by the last time they would ever see each other again.

Alfred was the first to pull away. He looked at Yao and then grabbing his always ready rucksack off the ground he headed off in the direction of the consoles office; leaving Yao standing on the door step looking after him.

When Alfred reached the consoles office he found the place humming with life and full of other soldiers just like him who had been called in for some unknown reason. As they all filtered into the grounds that surrounded the compound they began to hear the terrible news as it filtered down through the crowds. Pearl Harbor had been bombed by the Japanese, and America had officially declared war on Japan, they were all being shipped back to America. Alfred felt his heart sink with horror, yet rise with a righteous anger. Reaching into his inside jacket pocket he pulled out the little note book that he always carried with him and a pencil, dropping to one knee he wrote out a short note to Yao, explaining the situation and letting him know what had happened. Quickly tearing the piece of paper out he folded it up and ran to the gate. Flagging down the gate keeper who had had become friends with while he was there, he asked him to deliver it to Yao since he couldn't. The gate man nodded his head and put the paper in his shirt pocket. Alfred thanked him and then went back to the crowed of men who were waiting for more orders.

Orders didn't take long and before he knew it Alfred and all the other men where on a few selected planes headed back to America.

The war had begun.


End file.
